To cite a review in APA 7, list the reviewer, date, title or bracketed description, the source, and a DOI or URL matching where you read it.
Reviews pop up in journals, newspapers, blogs, and databases. Some recap a book or film; others are scholarly review articles that synthesize prior research. Each one follows the same four building blocks—author, date, title, and source—arranged to match where the review lives. Get those right and your entries stay consistent.
APA Review Citation Formats: The Core Patterns
Start with the content type and outlet. The wording inside brackets tells readers what was reviewed, while the source element points to the publication that carried the piece. Use sentence case for the review title, italicize the periodical or site name when style calls for it, and prefer a DOI over a bare URL when both exist.
| Review Type | Where It Appears | Reference Template (APA 7) |
|---|---|---|
| Book review | Journal, magazine, or newspaper | Reviewer, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of review. [Review of the book Book title, by B. B. Author]. Periodical Title, volume(issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxxxx |
| Film review | Newspaper or website | Reviewer, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of review. [Review of the film Film title, by C. C. Director]. Site or Newspaper. URL |
| Product or app review | Tech blog or magazine | Reviewer, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of review. [Review of the software App name]. Site or Magazine. URL |
| Peer commentary | Scholarly journal | Commenter, A. A. (Year). Title. [Peer commentary on the article “Article title,” by D. D. Author]. Journal Title, volume(issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxxxx |
| Review article | Scholarly journal | Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the review article. Journal Title, volume(issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxxxx |
You’ll notice two families here. A “review of another work” cites the reviewed item inside brackets. A “review article” is a standalone research article; treat it like any journal article with no bracketed note.
APA clarifies the four elements of a reference and how they flex by source type on its elements of reference list entries page. If you need an at-a-glance set of models, the APA reference examples handout and many library guides mirror the same pattern.
Step-By-Step: Build The Reference
1) Author
Use the reviewer’s name as the author. If the review is unsigned, move the title to the author position. For a staff byline like “Editorial Board,” keep that wording as the author name.
2) Date
Match the outlet’s date precision. Journals use year only; newspapers and many sites include month and day. If the review lists just a season, include it in the date.
3) Title
If the review has its own title, use it in sentence case. If not, supply a bracketed description in the title slot: [Review of the book The great alone, by K. Hannah]. Keep the brackets. Use the correct noun inside the brackets—book, film, album, exhibition, software, and so on.
4) Source
Give the periodical or site that published the piece. For journals, include italic journal title, italic volume, issue in parentheses, page range, and a DOI when present. For news sites or blogs, give the name of the site or newspaper and a stable URL. If the review comes from a database with no DOI and the content is widely available elsewhere, treat it like its print counterpart and omit the database name.
How To Cite A Review In APA In Text
Cite the review, not the original book or film. Use author–date. If you quote, add a page or paragraph number. Narrative style works well for critics with name recognition; parenthetical is fine for quick mentions.
- Narrative: Garcia (2022) praised the memoir’s candor.
- Parenthetical: The review notes uneven pacing (Garcia, 2022).
- Quotation: “A clear, tough look at grief” (Garcia, 2022, p. B4).
APA’s quick explainer on in-text citation basics from Purdue OWL is handy for spacing, punctuation, and variants like multiple authors; see in-text citations: the basics.
Edge Cases You’ll See
No Review Title
Use a bracketed description as the title. Capitalize only the first word and proper nouns inside the brackets.
No Named Author
Move the title element to the author slot. The rest of the entry stays the same. In text, shorten long bracketed titles to a few words.
Paywalled Or Database-Only
If a DOI exists, include it. If there’s no DOI and the work isn’t publicly available, give the periodical details and omit the URL. Skip database names unless the work is in a proprietary site with unique content that can’t be found elsewhere.
Non-English Reviews
Give the original title. If you add an English translation, place it in square brackets after the title.
Podcast Or Video Review Segments
Cite the specific episode or video that delivers the review. Name the host or channel in the author spot, note the format in brackets, and link to the exact episode page.
Formatting Details That Matter
- Use sentence case for review titles; use headline case for periodical names.
- Italicize the periodical title and volume. Do not italicize the issue number or page range.
- Prefer a DOI link that begins with https://doi.org/ over a raw URL.
- If the review spans non-contiguous pages in a newspaper, cite the first page and any section marker provided by the outlet.
- When a review covers multiple works, state that inside the brackets: [Review of the books Title one and Title two, by A. Author & B. Author].
Source Element: DOI, URL, Or Nothing?
Pick the most stable path to the review. When a DOI exists, use the link in the form https://doi.org/xxxxx and omit any extra URL. If the review sits on a public news or magazine site with no DOI, include a direct URL to the article page. Reviews found in common research databases without a DOI are treated like print: give the periodical title, volume, issue, and pages, and leave off the database name. Save a database label for content that lives only in a proprietary collection.
Skip a retrieval date for standard reviews. Retrieval dates apply to material designed to change, such as wikis or home pages. Most reviews are static after publication. For print-only items, end the entry after the page range. For paywalled pieces, the periodical name and details still allow readers to locate the source.
Worked Samples
Journal Book Review With DOI
Lopez, R. M. (2023). Rethinking attachment in adult therapy. [Review of the book Attached at heart, by J. Patel]. Psychotherapy Review, 58(2), 211–213. https://doi.org/10.1037/pri0000123
Newspaper Film Review On A Website
Tran, K. (2024, July 14). A neon-bright ride with real bite. [Review of the film Neon highways, by L. Okafor]. The Daily Ledger. https://www.dailyledger.com/movies/neon-highways-review
Untitled Magazine Review
Park, A. (2022, May). [Review of the album Golden hour, by P. Reyes]. Sound & Scene, 41(5), 64–65.
Peer Commentary
Singh, T. (2021). On trauma narratives and voice. [Peer commentary on “Story work after loss,” by V. Chen & R. Yi]. Journal of Narrative Practice, 11(1), 77–80. https://doi.org/10.5555/jnp.2021.11.1.77
Common Mistakes And Quick Fixes
| Problem | Fix | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|
| Citing the book instead of the review | Cite the review; mention the book inside brackets | Readers can find the actual source you used |
| Putting the book title in italics in the title field | Keep the review title in sentence case; place the reviewed item inside brackets | APA treats the review as the work; the book is a detail |
| Using site names as authors | Use the reviewer or group author; reserve site names for the source element | Author, date, title, and source keep their lanes |
| Dropping the DOI when present | Include the DOI in URL form | Stable links help readers reach the item |
| Adding database names for common journals | Omit database info when content is widely available | APA treats database names as optional in these cases |
When You’re Citing A Review In APA For Different Media
Books
State [Review of the book Title, by Author]. Add edition info only if the review centers on a specific edition. Keep series titles out of the bracketed note.
Films And TV
State [Review of the film Title, by Director] or [Review of the TV series Title, created by Creator]. If the director is unknown, credit a producer or writer. Link to the publisher’s review page, not a streaming platform splash page.
Music And Games
Use the noun that fits: album, single, score, video game. Name the label or studio only inside the bracketed note if it helps identify the work.
Art, Exhibitions, And Performances
Give city and venue in the bracketed note when the title alone isn’t enough to identify the work. If the review covers a touring show, include the city in the review title if the outlet lists it.
Quality Checks Before You Hit Publish
- Scan for the four elements in each entry. Nothing missing? Good. Check DOIs for typos.
- Match punctuation to the outlet type. Journals use volume(issue), then pages; news sites skip the volume and issue.
- Confirm title case vs sentence case in the right spots.
- Align your in-text citations with the reference list. Names and years should match.
Why Your Review Citations Matter
Review writing can be punchy and subjective. Good citations anchor that voice to verifiable sources. Clear entries help readers retrace your steps, weigh the critic’s stance, and reach the original text or cut of the film. That clarity builds trust in your piece and keeps your editorial standards sharp.